Sheet control delivery mechanism for lithograph, varnishing machines, and the like



Aug- 7 '1945' H. w. 'BRINTNALL v l 2,381,719

SHEET CONTROL DELIVERY MECHNISM' FOR LITHOGRAPH,

VRNISHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-She-et l .Y 2,381,719 ITHOGRAPH, KE

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug-7, 1945. H; w. BRINTNALL v EET CONTROL DELIVE VARNISHI'NG F11 RY MECHANISM' FOR L MAG ed 0 HINES AND THE LI Ct; 2, 1942 A TTRNEX Patented Aug. 7, 1945 UNITED STATE SHEET CONTROL DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR LITHOGRAPH, VARNISIIING MA- CHINES, AND THE LIKE Harry W. Brintnall, San Francisco, Calif. Application October 2, 1942, Serial No. 460,582

. 3 Claims.

This invention relates toa new and useful improvement in sheet material delivery control mechanisms andparticularly relates to anfespecially constructed apparatus for use in connection with lithograph varnishing machines and the like for the purpose of delivering the paper sheets conveyed from the machines or the driers connected therewith into a receiving box.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum control mechanism for automatically slowing down the travelling speed of each sheet when the same is being delivered into the receiving box whereby the sheets are uniformly piled therein.

Another object of the presentinventionis to provide a revolving vacuumcontrol cylinderin 'combinationwith the sheet conveying mechanism and to convey the sheets across the outer periphery yof the cylinder to the receiving box and to operate said cylinder at a slower peripheral speed than the sheet conveyor, whereby the travelling speed of veach sheet is controlled andy will be automatically reduced when the same is being delivered into the receiving box.

j Another-object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum pump and a vacuum line for causing the vacuum tobe produced in said cylinder and to provide a valve in said line for controlling the timing of the vacuum in the cylinder and to further provide means for 'automatically controlling the operation of said valve by the travelling movement of thefsheets being conveyed to the receiving box. l l' `A further object of thel inventionv is to provide means for automatically shutting the valve at a predetermined time whereby the vacuum will become yautomatically closed with respect to the cylinder before the sheetstarts travelling across theL outer periphery thereof, said means also causing `the valve to be automatically re-opened at apre'determined'time relative lto the position of the sheeton" the` cylinder, whereby the vacuum isfa'ppliedonly to the rearl portion of thesheet during its course of travel across the cylinder, thus preventing; any possiblel collision of the sheets,` and also controlling the positioning thereof whenthey are being delivered into the receiving box. Y

*An additional object of the invention is to provide means for increasing the distance between the sheets before they reach the vacuum control cylinder, saidmeans being` preferably an auxiliary conveying mechanism associated with the primary conveying mechanism leading from the paper varnishing `machine or the drier thereof, u

will be noted that the the auxiliary conveying mechanism being adapted to receive the sheets being conveyed from said primary conveying mechanism,` and is operated at a higher speed, whereby each sheet received is quickly conveyed a considerable distance away from its succeeding sheet,thus enabling each `sheet to have sufficient time `to be separately controlled by the vacuum cylinder.

'Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description:

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one type of the sheets delivery mechanisms and the improvements embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, looking in direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View of the vacuum control member employed in the invention;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the vacuum cylinder taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is an inner end elevational View of a Ystationary valve member associated with the vacuum cylinder;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional View taken through the gear casing on line 6--6 of Fig. 1, illustrating a mechanism employed for reducing the revolvable speed of the vacuum cylinder with respect to the delivery tapes;

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view taken through the drive gear casing on line 1-1 of Fig. 1, illustrating how the delivery tape shafts are operatvely connected and,

Fig. 8 illustrates a common form of electric eye sheet detector utilized to operate the valve 5l of the device.

Referring in detail to the drawings the numeral l0 designates a plurality of endless belts that are arranged in parallelism and mounted upon suitable pulley wheels l2 and I4, respectively, the said pulley wheels being fixed to shafts l5 and 1,6, respectively, that are rotatably supported onto the upper portion oi the conveyor frame l1. It said frame is suspended from a ceiling, not shown, by the vertical supports 18, I9 and 20, or can be supported on the floor 2l in any suitable manner. A plurality of other endless belts 22 are mounted on pulleys y23 and positioned in parallel- 24, respectively, and are ism and underneath the rst mentioned belts, as

shown in Fig. 2. The conveyor proper is of conventional structure and is preferably positioned at the outer end of a series of primary conveyors leading from the machine and functions as an auxiliary conveyor for receiving the sheets from the primary conveyors, whereby the traveling speed of the sheets is increased to enable the sheets to be Widely separated. The device is operated by an electric motor V2'5 that is operatively connected to the conveyors pulley shaft I5 by a drive belt 26 being mounted on pulleys 21 and 28, respectively.

As hereinbefore stated one of 4the objects of the present invention is to -provide means at the delivery end of the conveyor for decreasing and controlling the traveling speed of the sheets as they are delivered into the pile box. The preferred construction illustrated consists in `providing an especially constructed cylindrical member 29 hereinafter termed the vacuum cylinder :and iixing Ythe :same `onto -a ysulzistantial shaft .30 .that :is positioned :in proximity itc the pulleys '14 :at the outer :end nf fthe 4conveyor and is rotatably supported in 'the .drame H; as 'shown in Figs. -1 and 2. The .said cylinder 29 is preferably :provided `with .a :series :of cirlcumferentia'l grooves .3.1 around 'the outer. It will be observed :that reach .of fsaid grooves is provided with :a plurality .of equally spaced holes 32 kthat extend Vradially "into `the cylinder, :as

shown in Fig. f4, `and individually lcommunicate 4withfa series of equally fspaced iholes 33 thathorizontally Yextend :into the l cylinder ."from the .lateral end 34 thereof, as shown in Fig. 3.

'The numeral 135 `designates, :a substantially flat cylindrical member Vthat -is supported on a fstationary bracket 36 :and is longitudinally keyed 'theretoI and iis :resiliently yurgedsagainst the lateral face .34 =of the Vacuum .cylinder by fthe icOil spring 3l, the bracket having an apertured 'angular arm 38 for enabling the spring 5to be compressed. An `arcuate shaped port 39 is provided in the inner face of the member 35 and extends into a curved air passage-'way 40, as Lshownl in Fig. "5; 4a hole -4I providing an outlet 'for said passage-way, Ywhereby communication is -made With the air passage-Way f4? provided in the bracket 3B. A 'suitable pipe 43 formingpart of the vacuum line is screwed into the lower end of 'said bracketand extends into the air passage-way 42.

A vacuum `pump 44 is operatively connected to the m'otor`25 -bythe belt `'45 mounted on `themotor pulley 46 and the pump pulley J41, respectively, as shown in Fig. L2. The niunera'ls 48,49, Y50 and 43 designate suitable pipes and numerals 1I and I2 elongated nipples provided to form the vacuum line. The numeral 5'! designates. a conventional magnetic valve .in saidline .that is lcentrally located underneath the conveyor belts and in proximity to the rear end portion thereof. Ihe numeral 52 indicates a thin resilient Wire 'that leads upwardlyat an angle 'from the valve 5l, and beyond the upper -face of the delivery tape 22, which carries vthe sheets '53 that are delivered into the receiving box y54.

The magnetic valve '5l .is normally .open when the .resilient wire '.52 .lis in its normal position as shownin Fig. 2 and in which .position .the vacuum line .will be open, causing a vacuum to be produced in the cylinderl.. When =the .conveyed sheet passes the resilient wire 52 it -moveswthe latterdownwardlylagainst .the .contact arm .55, as shown in .dot Aand dash `outline in Fig. 2 .thus

.periphery thereof.,

Ylent Wire .52 and the closing the switch and causing the magnetic valve to be closed, whereby the vacuum produced in the cylinder 29 is closed for a limited time while the sheet is first passing over the same. After the sheet passes over the resilient Wire 52, the said wire springs back to its normal position re-opening the magnetic valve 5|, enabling Vacuum to be produced in the cylinder 29 and applied to the rear portion of the sheet. The vacuum is thus closed in the cylinder when the sheet lrst passes over the same and is applied to the 'rear portion of the tive-distance between sheet only, due to the relathe wire and the cylinder 'with irespec't to the length of the sheets. It will be :apparent-.that v.the distance between the resilcylinder 29 is less than the length of the's'heet to be delivered. The long nipples .H and A'1,2 enable the location of the magnetic valve 5| to be adjusted in the vacuum line, whereby the distance between the wire 52 and the cylinder-29 can be varied.

When the :cylinder r29 is revolved, .the horizontal holes Y35i, leading .into the 'cylinder from the lateral `end 34 thereof, will successively communicate with the port `39 in the stationary member `4l), `enabling `the air to be continuously drawn through Ithe `radially yextending :holes 32 at a location Aabove the cylinder, thus rcausing the delivered sheet .to be drawnonto `theupper outer periphery thereof. The length `of .the arcshaped port 3.9 is preferably -equal to ithe "total outer distance between two of the holes 32, whereby at least one .of `the holes 32 will always `,be in communication with said port. r.Any-.suitable number of holes andsize vof .arc shaped -port can be use d :to best lserve the purpose 'of the invention. A thin resilient yarm V56 functions to lightly mrge the sheet against `the outer periphery -of the cylinder. l v v v It will be noted .thatlfthe vacuum cylinder .is revolvedata .slower speed than the pulley wheels carrying the .delivery tapes, 'in order to reduce the .traveling speed of thesheets while they yare being delivered into the .receiving box. A-suitable means -for reducing the speed -of the cylinder .is illustratedcin Fig. 6 and consists in :flicing a small :gear 56 onto the rear pulley shaft IB .anda larger gear -51 on thelcylinder shaft 30 and .operatively connecting the Atyvo gears 56 and 5l .by .anidler Ygear 58 that is fixed `onto lashaft 59, Vthe said gears :being `enclosed in casing v60 `and the shaftsrotatably supported into said casing 60 and the frame Il in anysuitable manner. The shafts :|5and 6l carry the upper and lower pulley -wheels l2 and 23, respectively, at the receiving end of the machine and are operatively connected by the gears 62 and 63, respectively, that are mounted into the casing l0. The difference .in .the -diameters 'of `the said gears 62 and .'63 is in direct proportion to the difference in the diameters of the upper .and vlower pulleys l2 .and 23; as .a result the upper and lower-deliv-f ery :tapes I0 and 22 .are caused to travel atexactly thesame speed. The conveyor .illustrated in Figs. 1 and Zrepresents the auxiliary conveyor and can be operated separately from the primary conveyors leading from the paper varnishing ma.- chine drier, or can be operatively connected thereto by a small pulley 64 having -a belt band 6,5 .connected toa larger pulley 66 :that is fixed to one of the delivery end shafts 61 of the primary conveyors, .shown in dot anddashvoutline in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 there is shown .a schematic view, in dot and dash outline ofthe deliveryend--portion of one ofthe primary conveyors, illustrating how the auxiliary conveyor is positioned to receive the sheets that are delivered therefrom. When drying the sheets conveyed from the varnishing machine it is often necessary to operate the conveyors at a slow speed in order to provide sufficient time to obtain the proper drying. It is also desirable to position the sheets on the slow conveyors with the edges of the sheets as closely together as possible in order to obtain the maximum eiciency. When .this procedure is followed it becomes necessary to provide an auxiliary conveyor operating at a higher speed in order to separate the sheets a greater distance apart so that the vacuum cylinder will have sufcient time to control each sheet without any possibility of collision from the sheet following.

Any other suitable valve and means for operating the same can be employed in place of the valve utilizing the resilient Wire 52 for its operation. For example, an electric eye can be provided above the conveyor belts IIJ and a mirror for receiving the light beam provided below the belts and positioned the proper distance from the vacuum cylinder 29. The valve would be held open by a solenoid, the circuit for which would be closed until the light beam between the eye and mirror became broken. The breaking of said beam by a sheet passing through the same would cause the circuit to become broken de-energizing the solenoid, allowing the valve plunger to drop and thus close and shut the vacuum line oif from the cylinder 29. The said cylinder would thus be free from vacuum while :the first portion of the sheet was passing over the same but again would be open to the vacuum line for enabling the suction to retard the latter portion of the sheet as it is being delivered into the receiving box.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes relative .to the material,

size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A device of the character described for delivering sheet material into a pile, including an auxiliary conveyor for use in combination with a primary conveyor and adapted to receive sheets conveyed therefrom, means for increasing the conveying speed of lthe auxiliary conveyor with respect to the conveying speed of the primary conveyor, whereby the separated distance between the edges of the sheets is increased for facilitating the separate delivering of the sheets, a revolvable cylindrical member horizontally positioned in proximity to and in parallelism with the delivering end of the auxiliary conveyor, means for decreasing the speed of the cylinder member with respect to the speed of the auxiliary conveyor, and means for producing vacuum itl) in proximity to said cylinder member whereby the sheets are drawn on the cylindrical member while they are being delivered out of the auxiliary conveyor.

2. A device of the character described for delivering sheet material into a pile, including an auxiliary conveyor for use in combination with a primary conveyor and adapted to receive sheets conveyed therefrom, means for increasing the conveying speed of the auxiliary .conveyor with respect to the conveying speed of the primary conveyor, whereby the separated distance between the edges of the sheets is increased for facilitatingl the separate delivering of the sheets, a revolvable cylindrical member horizontally positioned in proximity to and in parallelism with the delivering end of the auxiliary conveyor, means for decreasing the speed of the cylinder member with respect to the speed of the auxiliary conveyor, a series of ports extending into an end portion of the cylindrical member and throughA the outer periphery thereof, a vacuum line leading to said cylindrical member and having communication with said ports causing the sheets being delivered out of the auxiliary conveyor to be drawn onto the outer periphery of the cylindrical member and the delivered speed reduced, and an automatically operative valve for controlling the timing of the vacuum with respect to the cylindrical member to limit the length of time the vacuum is drawn on each sheet while the sheets'are being delivered out of the auxiliary conveyor.

3. A device of the character described for delivering sheet material into a pile, including an auxiliary conveyor for use in combination with a primary conveyor and adapted to receive sheets conveyed therefrom, means for increasing the conveying speed of the auxiliary conveyor with respect to .the conveying speed of the primary conveyor, whereby the separated distance between the edges of the sheets isincreased for facilitating the separate delivering of the sheets,

a revolvable vacuum control cylinder horizontally positioned in proximity to and in parallelism with the delivery end of the auxiliary conveyor, resilient means for guiding the sheets over the cylinder, means associated with the mechanism of the auxiliary conveyor for decreasing the'peripheral speed of said cylinder with respect to the conveying speed of the auxiliary conveyor, whereby the delivery speed of the sheets in decreased, a vacuum line in communication with the vacuum control cylinder, an automatically operative valve in said line, and means associated with said valve and adapted to be operated by the sheets being delivered on the auxiliary conveyor for controlling the length of time .the vacuum is in communication with said cylinder during the delivering of each sheet from the auxiliary conveyor.

HARRY W. BRINTNALL. 

